Dallas Cowboys 2018 draft target: Denzel Ward

Could the Dallas Cowboys look to add another young, talented, cornerback Denzel Ward at pick 19 in this years NFL draft?

In the 2016 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys took an Ohio State Buckeye, running back Ezekiel Elliott in the first round. It is safe to say this has turned out to be one the Cowboys best draft picks, and when the draft comes around in April, they may have another Buckeye on their mind in the first round.

Denzel Ward is a 5″10, 191 lbs, 20 year old cornerback from The Ohio State University. In 2017, his junior season at Ohio State, in 14 games, Ward 37 tackles, 30 of which were solo tackles, 15 pass defenses, and two interceptions.

Ward was named a Consensus All-American and all-conference for his outstanding season in 2017, and quickly burst onto the scene as a potential first round draft pick.

The younger corner is an extremely gifted athlete. In high school, Ward qualified for states as a long jumper for his track team, which shows off his freakish athletic ability.

The biggest strength for Ward may be his outstanding footwork, which will give him the ability to play inside or outside cornerback at the next level. Ward also is impressive in press coverage, and has great burst to the ball in zone.

Some things Ward may struggle with at the next level are him being a little undersized allows physical receives to use their body strength to take balls away.

Also, the corner was helped greatly by Ohio State’s outstanding pass rush, and was not forced to cover for long amounts of time on many plays.

Although corner is not a huge need for the Cowboys, Ward would be an intriguing option if he is there at 1#9. He is always around the ball, and when he develops, could become the ballhawking playmaker Dallas’ secondary desperately needs.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft - Full first round!

I do not think cornerback should be a top priority in this draft, but if the Dallas Cowboys get wiped out of other position needs and cannot trade down, Denzel Ward would be a nice pick for Dallas to help their defense at #19.